US Domestic News Roundup: Duke Ellington school delays naming theater after Dave Chappelle; Biden plans big bipartisan bill signing; Republican backers face threats and more

A three-member panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans affirmed its ruling despite the Biden administration's position that halting implementation of the vaccine mandate could lead to dozens or even hundreds of deaths. Free at last, Britney Spears calls end of conservatorship 'best day ever' Pop star Britney Spears on Friday regained control of her personal life and her money when a judge ended a 13-year conservatorship that became a cause celebre for fans and critics of an arrangement typically meant to protect the elderly.


Reuters | Updated: 13-11-2021 18:44 IST | Created: 13-11-2021 18:31 IST
US Domestic News Roundup: Duke Ellington school delays naming theater after Dave Chappelle; Biden plans big bipartisan bill signing; Republican backers face threats and more
US President Joe Biden (File Photo) Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Duke Ellington school delays naming theater after Dave Chappelle

The Duke Ellington School of the Arts, in Northwest D.C., said it will postpone renaming its theater after Dave Chappelle, one of its best known graduates, to engage with members of the school who raised concerns about the comedian's latest Netflix comedy special. The event, originally scheduled for November 23, has now been moved to April 22, the educational institution said in a statement on Friday.

Biden plans big bipartisan bill signing; Republican backers face threats

The White House is planning a big ceremony on Monday for President Joe Biden's signing of the $1 trillion infrastructure bill Monday with Republican lawmakers, amid a toxic political climate in the United States. Officials are considering holding the event on the expansive White House South Lawn, where the presidential helicopter lands, to accommodate a large crowd invited to celebrate one of the president's biggest legislative achievements to date, a person familiar with the planning said.

Coast Guard evacuates 20 campers trapped by floods in Oregon

Twenty people trapped by flash flooding at an Oregon recreational vehicle park were lifted to safety on Friday by U.S. Coast Guard helicopters, authorities said. Torrential showers caused a creek adjacent to the park to overflow near Neskowin, Oregon, about 90 miles southwest of Portland, and stranded some 50 people, according to officials.

Teens charged in arson murder of five Senegalese immigrants targeted wrong Denver home

Five Senegalese immigrants killed in a 2020 arson house fire were targeted by one of the teenagers charged in the case because he mistakenly thought someone at the Denver home had stolen his mobile phone, court testimony showed on Friday. The disclosures came during a preliminary hearing for Kevin Bui and Gavin Seymour, who have been charged with first-degree murder, arson, assault and related offenses stemming from the August 2020 blaze.

Biden and China's Xi will hold virtual meeting on Monday

U.S. President Joe Biden will hold a virtual meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Monday, the White House said, talks Washington hopes will create some stability amid increased tensions between the world's two largest economies. It is expected to be the leaders' most extensive meeting under the Biden administration and will follow on from a telephone call between the two on Sept. 9.

Police showed defendants video of Ahmaud Arbery before shooting, Georgia jury hears

Two white men on trial in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery were shown surveillance video of the Black man walking around a half-built house in their southern Georgia neighborhood 12 days before they chased and shot him, a jury heard on Friday. "Nobody seems to know who this kid is or where he's coming from," Robert Rash, a Glynn County police officer, told the two men, Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael, on the night of Feb. 11, 2020, after showing them the clips, according to body-worn camera video played in court.

U.S. should require COVID-19 vaccine or negative test for domestic air travelers, lawmakers say

Three dozen Democratic lawmakers on Friday urged President Joe Biden to require domestic airline passengers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or show a negative test result. "This is a necessary and long overdue step toward ensuring all Americans feel safe and confident while traveling and reduce the chances of yet another devastating winter surge," said the letter https://beyer.house.gov/uploadedfiles/holiday_vax_flight_letter_11.12.21.pdf from members of Congress led by Representatives Don Beyer and Ritchie Torres and Senator Dianne Feinstein.

U.S. appeals court affirms hold on Biden COVID-19 vaccine mandate

A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld its decision to put on hold an order by President Joe Biden for companies with 100 workers or more to require COVID-19 vaccines, rejecting a challenge by his administration. A three-member panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans affirmed its ruling despite the Biden administration's position that halting implementation of the vaccine mandate could lead to dozens or even hundreds of deaths.

Free at last, Britney Spears calls end of conservatorship 'best day ever'

Pop star Britney Spears on Friday regained control of her personal life and her money when a judge ended a 13-year conservatorship that became a cause celebre for fans and critics of an arrangement typically meant to protect the elderly. "Effective today, the conservatorship of the person and the estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby terminated," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny said after a 30-minute hearing in which no one opposed ending the court-sanctioned arrangement.

U.S. entrepreneur who flew to space with actor William Shatner dies in plane crash

Medical research software mogul Glen de Vries, who flew to space last month with actor William Shatner aboard a rocketship operated by Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, died in a small plane crash in New Jersey, state police said on Friday. The plane crashed on Thursday in Sussex County, New Jersey, just northwest of New York City, police said, adding that De Vries, 49, and another man aboard the aircraft, Thomas Fischer, 54, were killed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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